Indiana volleyball senior setter Camryn Haworth stepped up to the service line in the second set against Rutgers on Nov. 1, poised for another shot against Rutgers. Just 2 points prior, she scored an ace, now she was on the verge of making history.
After Haworth tossed the ball up with her left arm, she drove it toward freshman libero/defensive specialist Alleigh Dutton. Dutton shanked the ball out of play.
Renowned as one of the Big Ten's top servers, this ace — her 198th — placed Haworth atop Indiana’s all-time leaderboard, surpassing the previous record set by Jen Magelssen, who played at Indiana from 1995-98.
The milestone punctuated a perfect weekend for the Hoosiers, who won both of their East Coast matches against Rutgers on Nov. 1 at Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway, New Jersey, and Maryland on Nov. 2 inside the XFINITY Center Pavilion in College Park, Maryland. They now sit at 12-10 this season.
Indiana defeats Rutgers 3-1
In Indiana’s match against Rutgers, junior outside hitter Avry Tatum didn’t appear in the starting lineup. Instead, the other starting Hoosier up at the net, junior outside hitter Candela Alonso-Corcelles, rose to the occasion. Alonso-Corcelles delivered a season-high 23 kills across four sets for the Hoosiers.
Even with Tatum not in the starting group, she still was a key part for her team’s success up at the net offensively. She tallied 20 kills across the four sets –– the third time Tatum’s recorded 20 or more kills this season.
Though Rutgers remains winless in Big Ten play, it avoided a sweep by narrowly taking the third set in extra points against Indiana and kept the first and fourth sets close, losing by no more than 4 points. The turning point in the match came in the second set when the Hoosiers sparked a decisive 12-1 run that dashed any hopes of a Scarlet Knights comeback.
Indiana’s fast-paced offense drove the surge in the second set. Tatum tallied three kills and Haworth added two aces, one of which crowned her Indiana’s all-time aces leader. Rutgers’ four attack errors tipped the momentum in Indiana’s favor.
Indiana sweeps Maryland
Indiana’s second match of the East Coast trip came against Maryland on Nov. 2. While the Hoosiers swept their competition, the Terrapins put up a fight, losing by no more than 4 points in each set.
Even though Maryland is the top team in the Big Ten behind the line, Indiana stifled it allowing three aces. Maryland graduate student pin hitter Samantha Schnitta, who leads the conference in service aces, didn’t earn a single ace during the match and recorded three errors.
On the other side, the Hoosiers tallied six aces, with Tatum recording three of them. Haworth also earned her 200th service ace against Maryland during the second set with a ball that barely landed in the far-right corner of the court.
Tatum and Alonso-Corcelles still put pressure on Maryland at the net offensively. Both reached double kills with 13 and 11, respectively. The Hoosiers also stopped the Terrapins at the net as no Maryland player reached double digit kills.
The two wins mark the Hoosiers’ first Big Ten road win. They have also been struggling on the road the entire season, as they’ve been winless on the road since the Kennesaw State Invitational on Aug. 30-31.
Indiana will head back home to Wilkinson Hall in Bloomington to get another shot at in-state rival Purdue at 7 p.m. Friday, and it will host one of the new additions to the Big Ten, USC, on Nov. 10 at 4 p.m.
Follow reporter Parker Rodgers (@parrod153) for updates throughout the Indiana volleyball season.
